RescueLiberty.com

The long battle against 2009's version of the Hate Crimes
Law has come to a crucial hour!  My sources inside the Senate
tell me that this morning Harry Reid officially attached
it as an amendment to the Defense Authorization Act and
"filed cloture."

That's legislative jargon meaning there could be a vote on the
bill as early as tomorrow night.  Reid used every ploy in the
book to keep any other Senator from adding amendments or
modifying the Hate Crimes content.  Reid's "fix" is in!

This is an outrageous manipulation of Senate rules for just
one purpose - to keep the unneeded, indefensible Hate Crimes
Law from getting a full and fair hearing!

    Now Senators are being forced to make a choice between
    approving a vital defense spending bill and voting against
    the dangerous Hate Crimes amendment.

C-SPAN call-n Numbers

Main Number: (202) 737-3220
Democrat:        (202) 737 0002
Republican:    (202) 737 0001
Independent: (202) 628 0205
Outside US:     (202) 628 0184

Even worse, Reid is using the cover of Sonia Sotomayor's
Supreme Court confirmation hearings in hopes that grassroots
Americans like you will not take notice!

I feel citizens like you - who know just
how dangerous this so-called Hate Crimes legislation really
is - have forced the Senate Majority Leader to take this low
path to deliver his political prize to the homosexual community.

In essence, Majority Leader Reid is sneaking this bill through
as an amendment because he knows opposition is growing fast
and he fears the bill could not survive on its own.  Just
yesterday, alert citizens like you delivered over 15,000
faxes to Senate leaders!

This battle has come to a pivotal junction!
We've already done so much to stop this dangerous bill, but
now I need your help once again in two vitally important ways...

+ + FAX YOUR SENATORS NOW!

I need you to fax your senators right now - even if you've
already done so one, two, or even three times before!  Tell
them you oppose the Hate Crimes amendment that is being
cynically smuggled through the Senate this week.

Together, we can stop this end run, but only if enough
concerned Americans stand up and fight!

Go here to schedule your faxes:

http://www.libertyaction.org/r.asp?U=20213&CID=292&RID=20891237

As always, you can send your own faxes. We have provided
all the information you need at the above link. Either way --
PLEASE SEND YOUR FAXES!

+ + Action #2 -- Call Harry Reid and your Senators now

Also, please continue to call Majority Leader Reid and tell
him you oppose him sneaking the Hate Crimes bill through the
Senate as an amendment. Our sources have informed us that
Senate phones lines are jammed with calls…so keep it up!

LET'S SHUT DOWN HARRY REID'S PHONES ALL WEEK!

Outraged citizens like you have already forced him to take
drastic steps to sneak this bill through -- NOW LET'S REALLY
TURN UP THE HEAT!

Reid's Majority Leader office: 202-224-5556

Reid's D.C. Senate office: 202-224-3542

Also, call your two senators and tell them you STRONGLY OBJECT
to the fast-tracking of the anti-faith Hate Crimes bill:

Talking Points:

1. I am very disappointed that the Senate is fast-tracking
   the Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009 (S. 909) by attaching
   it as an amendment to the Defense Authorization Act.

2. This Hate Crimes legislation is so controversial that it
   must be considered as a stand-alone bill, not rushed as
   an amendment.

3. I oppose the Hate Crimes Prevention Act and urge you to
   oppose it as well. It is an attack on faith and family
   while granting special rights based on "sexual orientation"
   and "gender identity," terms which are not even clearly
   defined in the bill.

We've come to the climax of this long, hard struggle.  Please
take time today to pray that God will cause the tide to turn
against the Hate Crimes Law, no matter what underhanded
tactics Harry Reid and his cronies employ.

And please... take action today! Go here to send your faxes:

http://www.libertyaction.org/r.asp?U=20214&CID=292&RID=20891237

Thanks in advance!

Mathew Staver, Founder and Chairman
Liberty Counsel

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Scott Wagner
Friday, July 10, 2009

Scott Wagner is a Police Academy Commander and Professor at Columbus State Community College in Columbus Ohio, and Commander of the 727 Counter Terror Training Unit. A 29 year law enforcement veteran, and current Deputy Sheriff, he is the Precision Marksman for the Union County Sheriff’s Office SRT Team.

The fear on the street is palpable to anyone who is paying attention. Ever since the election of Barack Obama as President of these United States in November 2008, coupled with the election of a democrat party majority in both the U.S. House and Senate, concern for the United States and personal safety has ignited like a fire in dry grass.

Sales of guns – black guns, rifles, shotguns and handguns (particularly 9mm) everywhere, have gone through the roof. AR15s have literally flown off of dealer shelves, and only now in the spring of 2009, have I seen the display samples of ARs begin to reappear on the wall of my favorite shooting emporium after the initial post election rush. Manufacturers of ARs are still working to catch up and some of the major suppliers are as much as 150,000 guns behind. Not only that, ammo is in the shortest supply I have ever seen in the 43 years of my shooting life. Have you recently tried to get 5.56mm, 9mm or even 380 ammo?

Supplies of 5.56mm and 9mm ammo are in short supply due to the black gun buying craze; .380ACP because of the rise in people getting concealed carry permits and the resurgence of interest in convenient 380 handguns like the fine Ruger LCP. In fact, in doing a review of the Ruger LCP, my gun store only had a small supply of ONE .380 round on hand, the Winchesters 95-grain SXT, which they had just gotten in. Unfortunately, I had to do a 30-round review of that pistol. There was none other to be found.

What is odd about this new fear is that it is not coming from the average citizen gun owner out there, but it is coming from what to me is an almost shocking source: street cops.

Street cops and SWAT cops that I know from various agencies – rural, suburban and metro – in my area are scared. Cops that before November 2008 never gave much thought (that I knew of anyway) to politics or more importantly to gun rights. For the most part, these are the guys that didn’t generally have any interest in shooting or gun ownership beyond keeping track of where their duty gun is, and a few of them didn’t even do that so well.

The guys I am talking about now are some of the same guys who used to not even carry off duty on a regular basis- but not anymore. They don’t scare easily, defenders of the Constitution of this State and the United States (as our oath of office reads), have been buying ARs, survival gear, and all the ammo they can lay their hands on. All of them (or I should say “us”) have been discussing and have been acquiring guns to provide a layered perimeter defense.

What are we suddenly so afraid of? Well in our discussions it seems to boil down to four areas.

First, fear of federal government intrusion into our lives. Every time I look at or listen to the news, there is something new and intrusive coming out of the Obama administration and this Congress. New tax schemes, government-run Canadian-style healthcare, a volunteer citizen defense force (whatever that is, what happened to the National Guard?) equipped with funding similar to our military, forced voluntary “service” after retirement, a lack of a southern border with hordes of illegal and criminal aliens pouring over our border, the swine flu scare as well as government forced closing of thousands of privately held Chrysler and GM dealerships, which will be the final nail in the coffin for these companies and the list goes on and on.

But these items in the news are just the tip of the iceberg. We can’t see the full impact of these actions yet, but we don’t know what was added into the thousand of pages of stimulus package bills in the dead of night yet. I predict however that when the plans contained in the stimulus packages go into effect, a lot of us are going to be surprised if not shocked by what has suddenly and sweepingly changed.

What also scares us is the second, well-founded fear that there is an assault weapons ban looming, one that would make the Clinton Ban appear like a look of disdain in comparison. I remember well the 1990s and the Clinton years: the rise of militia groups, the “black helicopter” rumors and paranoia, all of which was motivated by the Brady Law and the Assault Weapon’s ban. What if a new ban comes requiring registration or confiscation and turn-in of banned weapons as what happened in Australia?

…I foresee much civil disobedience coming down the road. Americans are citizens, and not subjects like the British, Canadians or Australians. They just don’t always obey the law blindly and not one officer or citizen that I spoke to said anything like “I hope I get to keep this gun for awhile before they are banned; They are fun to shoot, so I would hate to give it up.” It isn’t going to happen, so the cop on the street and the soldier on the base needs to think now what he will do if the orders come down. I think you all get what I am saying here.

Which leads me to the third fear, that there is a revolution coming, yes, a revolution on the scale of the original American Revolution. You can hear this topic discussed on many of the talk radio shows by even the big name hosts. The possib ility of an armed revolution against the U.S. government being discussed, albeit very gingerly and fleetingly and as something to be avoided, which it is. I never heard this mentioned in the 90s. One of my quietest, low profile officer friends brought it up the other day.

He said that at some point in the near future, he felt there is going to be an armed revolt if things keep going the way they are. Something has got to give. I was shocked. Yes, I had heard this from some of my more radical cop friends in the past, but to hear it from a guy like this was unprecedented. Now, these guys are not saying this will happen to foment revolution, preach sedition or to even participate. They just want to be ready if it happens, to at least defend their families, because number four on the fear list is general societal chaos.

Cops fear for their parents, wives, children or grandchildren more now than ever before. Most cops are encouraging their spouses and loved ones to get concealed carry permits. Not only that, but some of these same cops are buying gun mounts for their personal cars so they can carry an AR in the family ride at the ready all the time. They are also strapping on heavier forms of off-duty hardware. I have other friends that are issued ARs or subguns for tactical team use, who always have their gear with them and are planning on just commandeering these weapons for personal use in defending hearth and home.

Final Notes

This is pretty heady and maybe even dangerous stuff. Know fully that I am not advocating anything here. I am reflecting to you what I see and hear going on around me, and maybe saying things that haven’t been said in the open, until now. It is something to think about.

By Sudeep Reddy

A top Federal Reserve official warned lawmakers Thursday that intruding on the central bank’s long-held independence on monetary policy could raise inflation fears and push long-term interest rates higher.

Testifying before a House Financial Services subcommittee, Fed Vice Chairman Donald Kohn pushed back against congressional efforts to rein in the Fed and widen politicians’ authority to audit the central bank.

Political interference in monetary policy can lead to decisions to support the economy in the short term, rather than the longer-term focus required to protect against destabilizing inflation, he said.

Lawmakers are stepping up efforts to scrutinize the Fed as they weigh an Obama administration proposal to expand the central bank’s regulatory authority. Some lawmakers believe that if the Fed is granted expanded power it should be subject to more scrutiny.

Rep. Melvin Watt (D., N.C.), the subcommittee chairman, said lawmakers need “a clear handle on the extent to which the administration’s proposals could compromise or interfere with what the Fed already is charged to do.”

Fed officials maintain the new authority would simply alter the central bank’s approach to regulation but not greatly expand its power. They say Congress can oversee the Fed’s regulatory responsibilities while leaving it independent in monetary policy.

More than half the House has signed onto legislation that would allow the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, to audit all central bank operations. Mr. Kohn said “GAO audits, or the threat of a GAO audit, could be used to try to influence monetary policy decisions.”

WASHINGTON, July 9 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Reserve on Thursday launched a robust defense of its independence and warned that efforts in Congress to put monetary policy under political sway would hurt the economy.

Fed Vice Chairman Donald Kohn said opening up some of the U.S. central bank’s most sensitive decisions to political scrutiny could result in higher long-term interest rates and hurt the United States’ credit rating.

Testifying before a congressional panel, Kohn sought to beat back a proposed bill that would open the U.S. central bank’s policy decisions to audits by a federal watchdog agency. More than half of the members of the U.S. House of Representatives have signed as co-sponsors of the measure.

“Any substantial erosion of the Federal Reserve’s monetary independence likely would lead to higher long-term interest rates as investors begin to fear future inflation,” Kohn told a House subcommittee.

Kohn’s testimony comes as Congress debates President Barack Obama’s plan for regulatory reform, which envisions the Fed taking on an expanded role monitoring risks across the entire financial system to help ward off future financial crises.

The proposal has boosted calls for greater accountability at the central bank, which already faces heavy scrutiny from lawmakers troubled by its role in bailing out Wall Street.

Kohn said the administration’s plan would not greatly expand the Fed’s power, and said it would work hand-in-glove with monetary policy, not compromise it as some critics contend. For highlights from hearing, see [ID:nN09448635]

BACKLASH

Fed officials have had to endure rigorous congressional grillings over their aggressive actions to restore financial calm. Their e-mails have been subpoenaed, recalling past episodes when the central bank came under attack and was forced to yield to the political will.

The proposed bill, put forward by Representative Ron Paul, a Texas Republican and long-standing Fed foe, would expose decisions on monetary policy and emergency lending to audits by the Government Accountability Office.

The GAO is currently prohibited from auditing these areas. Kohn said removing this exclusion would be highly detrimental and could lead investors to worry that politics — not economics — would guide the Fed’s decisions.

“The Federal Reserve strongly believes that removing the statutory limits on GAO audits of monetary policy matters would be contrary to the public interest by tending to undermine the independence and efficacy of monetary policy,” Kohn said.

He also said it could “cast a chill” on monetary policy deliberations by making officials nervous that ideas they discuss behind closed doors could become public.

Paul denied his bill was about Fed independence. “We are not looking to the Congress to run monetary policy. We just want to know what’s going on, and why,” he told Kohn.

However, the bill would remove a provision of law that exempts Fed monetary policy decisions, transactions with other central banks and discussions between Fed officials from GAO audits.

Political attacks on the Fed are not new. Representative Henry Gonzalez pushed hard in the 1990s to force the central bank to publish transcripts of its policy meetings after he exposed that the meetings had been discretely recorded.

Paul’s bill has 250 co-sponsors, including 78 Democrats. But it has not been promoted by the Democratic majority leadership in the House, where it has yet to face even a committee-level vote.

If it were to emerge from the House, to become law it would also need to clear the Senate, where support may be scant.

AAA DANGER

Kohn warned that congressional meddling in the Fed’s affairs could threaten the United States’ AAA credit rating and drive up interest rates.

“History provides numerous examples of non-independent central banks being forced to finance large government budget deficits,” he said. “Such episodes invariably lead to high inflation.”

Some investors are already worried the Fed could begin to “monetize” the debt, and Kohn and St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank President James Bullard said with debt skyrocketing, the Fed’s independence had to be fiercely protected.

“Any kind of hint that you are trying to take away Fed independence could be very counterproductive at this point in time,” Bullard told Bloomberg television. [ID:nN09477295]

The Fed cut overnight interest rates almost to zero in December and has pledged to buy up to $1.75 trillion of longer-dated government debt to try to end the worst U.S. recession in decades.

Two other Fed policy-makers also spoke publicly on Thursday.

Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank President Gary Stern said recovery was “close at hand,” [ID:nNYS005219] and Fed Governor Elizabeth Duke agreed, though she urged banks to do more to get credit flowing.

“Economic conditions are stabilizing or, where they are still deteriorating, appear to be doing so more slowly,” she said.